Questionable Benefits from Taxpayer Funded Research on Unproven Clean Coal Tech

The Australian government has spent millions of dollars worth of taxpayer money on research into Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and allocated millions more in the 2011-12 budget. It’s time for the Gillard government to be transparent about the progress of CCS. It shouldn’t be throwing away money on the ‘clean coal’ pipedream.

Beyond Zero Emissions call on the Greens to use Senate Estimates and balance of power from 1 July to push government to reveal:

• How much public money has been spent on Carbon Capture and Storage to date
• How much has industry contributed, given its promise to put in $1 billion
• What is the evidence that CCS is progressing as predicted
• What is the cost-benefit of to publicly funded research into CCS compared to research to make proven renewable energy technologies cheaper

Australian government will provide $305 million funding for the Global CCS Institute to 2016-17. Rather than waste money on promises of ‘clean’ coal, the government should redirect funding to enhance proven renewable energy technologies that are riding the cost reduction curve.

Matthew Wright, Executive Director of Beyond Zero Emissions (2010 Young Environmentalist of the Year) says:

‘The Gillard government should be transparent about the prospects of CCS. If the technology is not ready for rollout then they should focus scarce funding to help proven renewable energy technologies get cheaper.

Matthew Wright says the urgent challenge of climate change requires a rapid shift to zero-carbon sources of energy.

‘Why wait for the CCS pipedream when Australia can build baseload solar thermal towers that produce 100 per cent renewable electricity?’

‘The Gillard government should develop policies to rapidly rollout proven renewable energy technologies. Our Zero Carbon Australia plan is the most cost-effective, rational way to achieve that outcome,’ says Wright.

The world has looking beyond coal. Coal is for powering 19th century economies, leaders around the world are waking up and moving to 21st century renewable energy powered economies.

‘If attempts by the world's biggest and dirtiest coal companies along with the Australian government and the US department of Energy can't get a clean coal carbon capture and storage project up then who can?,’ asks Matthew Wright.